Adams To Combat Brooklyn Medicare & Medicaid Fraud
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams last Friday launched a borough-wide Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program to combat more than $600 million lost annually in Medicare and Medicaid fraud in Brooklyn — the county where taxpayers lose the most in all of New York State, according to estimates based on Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data.
The announcement was made at the Shorefront YM-YWHA in Brighton Beach, an area of the borough that is particularly hard-hit by incidents of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, which have ranged from the use of stolen Medicare numbers and lying about to providers billing eligibility for services never provided/received to dispensing generic drugs billed at name-brand prices.
“It’s so important that we combat Medicare and Medicaid fraud so that our seniors are not unnecessarily scammed and forced to deal with financial problems that can be easily avoided in their golden years,” said Adams. “The SMP is a critically important initiative to empower vulnerable Brooklynites, including those who speak a language other than English at home, with the information to identify and report fraudulent activity that can cost them dearly.”
Seniors are urged to protect themselves from Medicare and Medicaid fraud by being informed of the following information/taking the following precautions:
· Do not share or confirm a Medicare or Social Security number with anyone who contacts you by telephone, email, or in person, unless you have given permission in advance.
· Medicare will never contact you (unless you ask) to ask for your Medicare number or other personal information, or to send you a new card; Medicare already has your information.
· Do not ever let anyone borrow or pay to use your Medicare number.
· There is no charge for your new card, so do not pay anyone to send it to you.
· Review your Medicare Summary Notice to be sure you and Medicare are only being charged for actual items and services received.
· Your new Medicare card is sent automatically by mail to the address on file with the Social Security Administration.
· If you have not received your new Medicare card, call the New York State SMP at (800) 333-4374.
· Under the False Claims Act, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is authorized to pay rewards to those who report fraud against the federal government and are not convicted of a crime related to the fraud; the reward can be between 15 and 25 percent (but up to 30 percent in some cases) of what it recovers based upon the whistleblower’s report.
Carroll Announces First LGBTQ Group To March In Bklyn St. Paddy’s Day Parade
Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) announced llast week that the Brooklyn Irish LGBTQ Organization (BILO) will be the first Irish LGBTQ group to march in the Irish American Day/Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, March 17 in Park Slope and Windsor Terrace!
“In January, BILO co-founders, Lisa Fane and Matthew McMorrow sent a letter to the Irish American Parade Committee to request acceptance for them to march and my office followed up with a letter in support of their request. Subsequent to sending the letter, Lisa, Matt and I met with parade committee leadership and were notified earlier this week that BILO will be accepted to march in the parade, making it the first openly LGBTQ organization to march in the parade’s history,” said Carroll..
“As a lifelong resident of Windsor Terrace whose Grandfather founded this parade in 1976, whose father was the announcer for this parade for many years and who participated in this parade every year growing up, I applaud the Irish American parade committee decision to include BILO in the line of march for this year’s parade. My Grandfather founded this parade to commemorate the American bicentennial and to celebrate the Irish and the contributions of Irish Americans to this country and I know that he would be proud to know that it is now welcoming to all.”
Levin Committee Hears Proposed Bill Concerning Marijuana In Child Welfare Cases
City Council Member Stephen Levin (D-Northern Brooklyn, Boerum Hill), chair of the General Welfare Committee, today will over see the committee holding a joint hearing with the Hospitals Committee on a package of bills on the impact of the criminalization of marijuana on family and child welfare.
As New York State considers marijuana legalization, it is incumbent upon city officials to scrutinize how our current laws and policies impact families. Fifteen percent of the 34,642 allegations that were referred to the city’s Administration of Children’s Services (ACS) between July and September of 2018 were for parental or child substance abuse.
While New York law states that substance use alone is not cause for indicating a neglect case and that a child’s physical, mental or emotional condition must also be impaired or in imminent danger of becoming impaired due to a parent or guardian’s failure to provide minimum care due to the “misusing” of a drug, advocates and defense attorneys contend marijuana use often plays a significant role in child welfare cases.
The joint hearing is slated for 1 p.m., today, March 4 at City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Eugene, Johnson Honor Grandmaster Yeon Hwain Park With His Achievements In Taekwondo
City Council Member Mathieu Eugene (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Prospect Lefferts Gardens) in collaboration with City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) last week presented a proclamation to Taekwondo Grandmaster Yeon Hwan Park at the City Council Stated Meeting.
Eugene, himself a master of martial arts, was pleased to honor Park for his extraordinary achievements in Taekwondo as a coach, teacher, and mentor, and for his leadership as the President of the U.S Taekwondo Leaders Union.
“My colleagues and distinguished guests, I am so delighted to be here with the Speaker to honor Grandmaster Park,” said Eugene. “I know that I am speaking on behalf of the entire City Council to welcome you with your family and your colleagues in the Chamber today. I also want to thank the Speaker for always recognizing the contributions of great New Yorkers in so many fields of expertise. Today, we are honoring a man, a gentleman, who is among the highest authorities of taekwondo in the world. It is very special to me, because I know what this sport has done for those who have been practicing taekwondo.”
After moving to the United States in the 1980s, Grandmaster Park became the head coach of the U.S Olympic team. In 1988, he led his team to the Olympics in Seoul, where, competing as a demonstration sport, they won four gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze medals, and shocked the Korean athletes who had dominated the sport for decades.
